The Oklahoma City Thunder have built their current team through the unexpectedly strong draft picks they acquired from other teams. With the news breaking that Paul George had knee surgery and is questionable to start the regular season, it looks like that pipeline of lottery talent will keep on coming.
Some championship teams are built entirely from a team's own draft picks and free agent signings. Most, however, require trades that take advantage of other teams. The Boston Celtics, last year's champions, won multiple trades to add to a core built on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown -- both drafted by the Celtics from picks they acquired from other players.